The London 2012 Olympic Games
begin on Friday, July 27, 2012! This
year for the first time ever, female
boxing will be an official Olympic
event. In this issue Andy and Jamie
compare the differences between
amateur and professional
boxing, and explain how Olympic
scoring is done.

An Olympic boxing match is a contest
of skill, not brute force, toughness,
or aggressive power. Fundamentals
are stressed, especially
defensive moves. Strict rules are
enforced to ensure protection. Amateur
boxing requires commitment
to learn and develop each day. An
amateur boxer's intent is to outbox
his opponent by landing many
clean, effective punches and setting
up a defensive moves rather
than knocking out his opponent.
The boxer with good technique
and effective punches will be the
winner.

Amateur boxing is at the
heart of all boxing and
is considered the purest
form of boxing.

It is the
essence of the sport.
Unlike professional boxing, amateur
boxing takes more precautions
to ensure safety. The boxer must
go through a physical examination
before and after the competition.
Protective equipment is mandatory
for each competition and the
gloves and headgear are required
to have exact combinations of a
variety of shock absorbing foams
to reduce the impact of a blow.

The Olympic style of boxing is the
basis of the sportsmanship of Amateur
boxing and many of the great
male professionals had a taste of
Amateur Boxing and Olympic glory;
Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier,George Foreman, Evander Holyfield,
Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox
Lewis and Oscar De La Hoya.

Amateur
boxing often gives the professional
boxing arena their nextcontestants.

It is a great training
field to learn, practice, and develop
into a professional boxer.

In Professional Boxing a skillful
fighter is recognized and celebrated,
but most fans want to see a
fierce, brutal battle. No headgear
is worn and fewer safety precautions
are enforced. The boxing
gloves do not have the padding like
amateur boxing gloves.

Olympic Boxing Rules

Olympic boxing matches consist of
a total of four rounds. Each round
is two minutes in length with a
one-minute interval between each
round. Contests are won by knockout
or on points. A point is awarded
for a scoring hit with marked part of
the glove on the opponent's head
(side or front) or body.

A panel of five judges decides
which hits are scoring hits. Judges
each have two buttons before
them, one for each boxer, and they
press the appropriate button when
they believe a boxer delivers a scoring hit.

An electronic scoring system registers
a point whenever three or
more judges press

the button for
one boxer within a second of each
other. No point is awarded for a
hit unless three of the five judges
agree. Punches to an opponent's
arms do not score points. Punches
that are judged to have no force
behind them do not score points.

At the end of the bout, when each
judge's points have been counted,
the boxer awarded the most points
by a majority of the judges is declared
the winner.

If two boxers end up with the same
number of points, the judges decide
a winner by assessing such
factors as which of the two took the
lead and showed better style.

How Much: $20 per day or all 3 days for $60.
This event is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and preregistration
is not needed, simply show up!

SPEED B.A.G. III is the world's only gathering of speed bag
punching talent. Balazs Boxing and Real Gymm have teamed
up for a 3rd year to bring speed baggers from all over the country
to Keyport, NJ for 3 days of non-stop punching action. Best of
all, this event is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Featured at the event
will be Alan Kahn, author of the Speed Bag Bible. Also offering
exhibitions and hands on punch lessons will be Zach "Speed
Bag Skunk" Ruffo an Everlast sponsored athlete, as well as Adam
"Speed Bag Scissor Hands", a Balazs sponsored athlete. No prior
experience is necessary - let the pros teach you how to punch!
On Saturday July 14th all entry fees($20 or more donation suggested)

will be benefiting Rock Steady Boxing, a foundation which uses non-contact boxing training techniques
to improve quality of life for people suffering from Parkinson's Disease. There will also be a silent auction with
some cool speed bag equipment and accessories , with all proceeds benefiting the charity.